


Ten Steps Ahead

by KazueEmiko



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Conditioning, F/F, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21816343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazueEmiko/pseuds/KazueEmiko
Summary: Edelgard had lost Byleth after the Adrestian Empire had rebelled against the Church of Seiros. However, Volkhard's visit gave her what she wanted... but it appears that Edelgard has to be ten steps ahead of Those Who Slither in the Dark to save the very person she loved.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	Ten Steps Ahead

**Author's Note:**

> Has it been that long since I've last written Edeleth? Probably not, but it felt like ages. Hope you enjoy this! I had fun writing this.

Times moves forward, and time waits for no one. Edelgard von Hresvelg had always believed in that. No matter how much she yearned to change the past, it would do nothing but reopen old wounds. The least she could do is focus on the present and future. She had no choice but to move forward.

Until it came to her professor. Her beloved professor was caught up in a conflict that was never hers, to begin with. If there was one thing Edelgard wished to do, she wished for them to meet under different circumstances. Yet without her teacher, Edelgard would not be standing where she was now.

“I will always stay by your side,” Byleth whispered nectar into Edelgard’s ears one night, the two huddled underneath the sheets without a single piece of clothing article. The older female placed a tender kiss on the noble’s neck from behind as she uttered, “I promise you from the bottom of my heart.”

How horrifically wrong she was. Edelgard wanted to go back and slap her across the face. By her side, Byleth and Edelgard raised the flag to rebel against the Church of Seiros and enraged the Knights of Seiros. The fight against the Immaculate One devastated the monastery. Yet despite their victory, a price must be paid in full, and it was a payment she had no choice in.

Edelgard could never forget the expression that Byleth made before the crumbling structures fell upon her. Byleth was gone in a snap of a finger. As Rhea escaped from the premise with her surviving soldiers and guardians, the aftermath left the Adrestian Empire in complete disarray. A raw scream like never heard before echoed into the red horizon. Not even losing her siblings and undergoing the experimentations from Those Who Slither in the Dark threatened to tear her apart like this.

The emperor, despite her injuries, ran in a flurry at the mountainous heap. She sunk to her bruised knees, her fingers clawing and shifting the boulders around. No matter how big or small they were, Edelgard shoved them aside, the worn muscles beginning to tear and burn. Her progress was beginning to slow. Fresh blood smeared the dusty concrete and sand, her nails torn apart in the process. Edelgard lowered her head. The tears flowed down her cheeks, her wails unhidden, begging to a godless being for a miracle.

“BYLETH!!!”

She weakly pounded on the huge pile of debris. Dorothea and Hubert approached from behind and tried to stand her up. Their house leader violently shook them off and curled into a fetal position.

Edelgard had to try again. She cannot give up. She had to dig Byleth out. She can’t leave Byleth alone. Byleth means so much to her. Byleth promised her that they would always be together. Why did she go back on her words? Why did she do that? Why? Why did her girlfriend do that? Didn’t they promise they would also be engaged in the future? Were those false promises? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY? JUST WHY?!

“Lady Edelgard…”

Hubert grimaced when he saw his emperor crawl towards the heap. Edelgard’s efforts to dig their professor out was a futile attempt. But he could not bring himself to stop her. As a loyal servant, it was his job to do what was best for Edelgard. He glanced away and scowled when he could not budge from his spot. Hubert felt so useless.

As he stood there, Dorothea approached the young woman, her arms wrapped around the frail noble. There was a bit of resistance from Edelgard, but the strong grip from the songstress tempted Edelgard into submission.

“Edie, let’s go back.”

“…”

“We can’t do anything right now. Let’s return and try to find her again once you’re healed up.”

“…okay.”

Hubert took it upon himself to carry the poor emperor into his arms. When he glanced, he noticed just how vulnerable Edelgard was. She was covered in grime and blood, but underneath it all, she was nothing more than a young lady. Although Edelgard’s duty as an emperor was of utmost importance, sometimes Hubert wondered if she would’ve been happier if she were nothing more than that of an ordinary commoner. Even if it meant not meeting him, maybe he wouldn’t have to see her so distraught like this. Maybe she would have fallen in love with Byleth normally. The two wouldn’t have to go through this conflict… right?

He cursed to himself and rushed back to the group. Just like Edelgard, he understood the importance of the present and future, yet hoped for a miracle to rewrite history.

Especially right now.

It has been five years since the first phase of their rebellion against the Church of Seiros. Edelgard and Hubert made a temporary alliance with Those Who Slither in the Dark to achieve victory in the current deadlocked war. As for the rest of the Black Eagles, they slowly regrouped under her flag, their hopes for achieving a better future motivated by her speech and, most importantly, the slim miracle to see their professor again. After all, after the entire class and some trustworthy battalions removed the debris a couple of days later, Byleth’s body was nowhere to be found. Even Edelgard felt her heart aflutter from the news.

Search parties led by students from the Black Eagles Strike Squad spread throughout all parts of Fodlan. They’ve trekked through varying landscapes and came under crossfire on many occasions. However, the results delivered to Edelgard’s doorstep were always disappointing. There were noted rumors about the “Ashen Demon” running amok on the battlefield… but that can’t be it. If it were true, then Byleth would’ve returned. So far, that hadn’t happened.

Until one letter arrived. She and Hubert quickly canceled all events for the day in order to meet with the sender.

“I’ve found your beloved professor, niece.”

Volkhard, after entering the main entranceway of the monastery (acting as their main headquarter), motioned to the approaching figure. Edelgard and Hubert held their breath in anticipation.

“…”

It was her. It was truly her. Byleth Eisner was here. She stood in full glory as of the progenitor god, as their professor, and as her girlfriend. Edelgard had to rub her eyes to distill any illusion. It was too premature to be excited this soon… right? When she removed her hands, Byleth still stayed, unmoving. A genuine, rare grin sprouted from Edelgard’s face as she rushed forward.

“Oh, Professor—!”

She couldn’t believe it! Her professor— She’s here! She’s finally here! Edelgard could barely reel back the desire to kiss with her girlfriend this very instant!

When she hugged the older woman, she immediately observed her physical state. Byleth was thinner, her chin was more pointed, her body was sturdier, and there were notable fresh bruises painted on her exposed skin. When they parted, Edelgard stared into Byleth’s eyes. Those sunken eyes, though neon, had dulled.

“Professor…?”

“…”

Something was wrong. Something terribly wrong. Edelgard bit the bottom of her lip and gently shook Byleth’s shoulders.

“Professor, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…”

Hubert noticed his highness’s confusion and glared at Volkhard. “May I ask why our professor refuses to speak to Lady Edelgard?”

“Hounds don’t need to talk.”

“Wha—” the young man was taken aback. “It may be rude of me to ask, but did you just call her a hound?”

The uncle sighed. He did not answer Hubert’s question, instead, directing his attention towards the two females. Volkhard snapped his fingers.

“Byleth, come here.”

“…”

To Edelgard’s horror, she watched her girlfriend obediently followed his instruction, returning to his side. Seeing her reaction caused her uncle to faintly smirk.

“I apologize, but your dear professor now works under me.”

“That’s… That’s not right!” Edelgard swung her arm outward. “She is our professor and has always been. As the emperor of the Adrestian Empire, I command that you return her back to us.”

“I’m afraid the emperor does not have full authority over who possesses what. Unless…” he narrowed his eyes. “You are that of a dictator. I’m sure your citizens would not be pleased.”

“Tch.”

He wasn’t wrong. Yet at the same time, Byleth was not a hound… and she was in no one’s possession. The fact that he treated her like an animal… This made Edelgard’s blood boil over. She then shot a glance at Byleth. Just why wasn’t Byleth saying anything? What was going on?

“…Please, let me stay with her.”

Well— Scratch that off, she could speak. Relief washed over Edelgard. She had to get a grip of herself before letting her knees instinctively buckle. Though it appears as if that evoked irritation from Edelgard’s uncle. Volkhard deeply breathed before mumbling, “Do as you wish, but I shall permit it starting tomorrow.” He glanced at Edelgard. “Is that sufficient, my niece?”

“Yes.”

Though Edelgard has every authority in this empire to take back her girlfriend, something felt off about the exchange, her guts screaming to keep her lips sealed and go along with the act. Besides, it would also do additional damage to her slowly diminishing reputation. The more drawn out the war, the more her citizens disliked her. She can’t lose the morale of the people in the empire any more than she has.

Eventually, Edelgard and Hubert were forced to watch Volkhard and Byleth take their leave from the once-holy ground.

Byleth paused. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted her girlfriend’s sadness. Then, a rare smile broke from the ex-mercenary’s stoic features.

“I never break my promise, El. Wait for me.”

It’s unfortunate that those words never made it to the emperor’s eardrums.

[-----]

Once Volkhard and Byleth distanced themselves far enough from Garreg Mach Monastery, they descended into a secret tunnel built by Those Who Slither in the Dark. Though their main hideout was in Shambhala, the organization expanded all across Fodlan to appear whenever and wherever desired. This was one of them.

Down the stairs they go in a rhythmic pattern, Byleth walking behind the man. With each step, the tunnel made of the earth’s soil transitioned to a metal pathway and a pulsating, neon blue line across the walls. Byleth began noticing a physical change of appearance in Volkhard. The uncle that should’ve been one of the many guiding figures in Edelgard’s life… It appears that he was long dead.

Once the ground flattened to a stable level, the duo was greeted with prisoner cells. Out of four, two of them were occupied. They were children with surgical stitches and scars running along their skin. Both the boy and girl trembled in the corner of their enclosed space at the sight of Byleth and Thales.

“…”

Byleth expected to be placed back into one of them. Ironically, it was the once place that she calls a safe haven for five long, arduous years, a place where she could curl up and sleep in her own misery. No… That wasn’t it. It was a place where she didn’t have to see the horrific experimentations and surgeries done unto those children. Their screams shattered bits and pieces of whatever sanity Byleth had. Witnessing it with her own eyes begged for merciful gouging.

“You…”

She stepped in once the metallic door was unlocked. Yet when she entered, so did the taller male.

“!”

Volkhard— No, Thales, immediately punched Byleth squarely in the face. When she stumbled backward, another punch was delivered into her abdomen. The wind was knocked out of her and caused the professor to go down on one knee. Byleth started to cough as Thales stared from above.

“What a fool you are to tell me what to do. Did you really miss her so badly?”

“…”

“You’re nothing but a dog, Fell Star. If I remember correctly, dogs don’t bite back at their masters.”

“Ggk…”

Byleth hated this treatment. When she was violently stirred awake from her short-term coma, she found herself in this underground facility. Close to the monastery, close to her students, close to her allies, yet so far away when Thales and members of Those Who Slither in the Dark conditioned the ex-mercenary into a powerful warrior for their needs. Five years of being grounded to the dirt into a lowly status of a hound. She wasn’t a human anymore nor a progenitor god through their eyes.

The number of deaths she tallied skyrocketed compared to her time as a mercenary. Ashen Demon was boldly adorned over her head with every swing of the Sword of Creator. She killed everyone in her sight. Criminals, soldiers, innocents… Their lives were extinguished in a single action, and their ghosts haunting Byleth until the day she joins their rank.

Though this was all in the name of surviving for one more day. Plus, Byleth would’ve gladly chosen death over it if it weren’t for her longtime commitment with Edelgard. She had to stay alive and see her girlfriend, bear with their cruelty, and condone their atrocious sins. Today was an example of her hard work paying off.

As she caught her breath, Thales’s voice boomed. “I want to remind you that we still need you for our grand plan.” His white eyes pierced through the female like icicles. “You have what we need in you and we need you to control Edelgard.”

Byleth raised her head. Compared to the look she had previously, they were ignited with a small flare. She spat, “Edelgard will never bow down to you. Using me won’t achieve your goal.”

He smirked. Then, leaning down, he mumbled, “But you can make her bow down to us.”

“!!!”

Thales got up and slammed his foot onto her hand. Hard. Byleth instantly cried out as pain rapidly spread from her fingerbones to the rest of her arm. She had to bite on her lip until it drew blood when the man twisted his metallic boot to the right. It felt as though the bones were creaking and snapping.

Eyes narrowed, Thales demanded, “You will report to us about her activities every night outside of the monastery. I will have a soldier deliver the message to us. Failure to do so…” He intensified his pressure onto her hand, causing Byleth to cry out again. “Will result in something far worse than death. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes…”

“I can’t hear you.”

“Agh!”

He was relentless. If this was going to keep it up, Byleth’s dominant hand was going to be broken. And if they’re broken, she would be forced under the knife again for healing… without anesthetics. Byleth frantically shouted,

“YES!”

When he released his hold, Byleth immediately withdrew her hand to her chest, fear glistening in her neon hues. The sight of watching the woman known as the Ashen Demon succumb was a reward in of itself to Thales.

Out of all the military members he recruited by force, none was as strong-willed as Byleth. She would always bite back. She was no fool either. Weak points that he had never noticed came to light when the warrior exposed it. Too bad Byleth is only a single woman. One versus a dozen without her weapon would always end poorly. Time and time again, Byleth landed back into her prison cell, Thales forcefully conditioning her to follow their code. It took months to weaken her until she became that of an obedient hound.

He turned his back towards her, but not without leaving his parting message.

“You should thank Edelgard for bringing you to me. If she hadn’t abandoned you, perhaps you wouldn’t be here.”

“…”

After the loud metallic slam of the barred door, his footsteps started to fade. Byleth realized she had held her breath once silence returned. The teacher scooted to the side of her confinement and leaned against the chilly wall. Neon blue dimly lit just enough for her to examine the afflictions.

_‘ He didn’t fracture my bones. ‘_

Byleth’s hand didn’t possess a stabbing pain when she flexed and moved her fingers. She weakly tightened it into a fist and stared up at the futuristic ceiling.

_‘ El… ‘_

She never blamed Edelgard for the fate that she had received. Perhaps it was… what was it that Mercedes or Marianne once said… Karma? Yeah, was this karma for the killings she had done as a mercenary that led her to this position? Byleth brought her knees in and rested her head on them.

Regardless, she at least met Edelgard in person, and properly this time. It was a gutsy move and Byleth feared the wrath that would incur from Thales. However, perhaps it was a blessing that he had granted her this peace. But there was a catch. Thales was not stupid. He had always thought two steps ahead of everyone. This could be the same. Byleth scrunched her brows. Despite the throbbing aches, she felt a drowsy spell be cast upon her mind and closed her eyes.

_‘ I… I’m going to be by El’s side again… ‘_

[-----]

Edelgard propped herself up on the mattress. In her white nightgown, the young noble stifled an audible yawn, her scarred arms outstretched up in the air. Birds chirped in the background as natural sunlight washed over parts of the flooring. If Edelgard were, to be honest, she’s not exactly a morning person, but… she had to do what she had to do as an emperor. She must always be punctual and there for her people.

Not much time was spent getting ready despite her flamboyant attire and hairdo. White switched with red, the ex-house leader left the noble’s dormitory floor.

Or so she was supposed to. Opening her bedroom door greeted her with a familiar presence… and a presence she yearned so much for.

“Byleth!”

The older woman cracked a smile. Then, she fell forward and into the welcoming embrace of her girlfriend. Edelgard nearly vocalized her surprise from the amount of weight Byleth dropped on her— or rather, the lack of it.

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m… just tired.”

“Tired?”

Byleth nodded. “I didn’t sleep much last night.”

It was unfortunate that Thales and some scientists decided to experiment on one of the kids roughly an hour after she nodded off. The event that transpired right afterward startled her awake to their piercing shrieks. Though Byleth was never subjected to their experimentations (it was unnecessary), she couldn’t imagine the agony they had to go through. After all, all four cells, including her, were originally occupied. One of them had died from the implantations of multiple Crests. It might’ve been a blessing to that teenager as they didn’t have to suffer anymore. The other two were the unlucky bunch for five years.

_‘ I want to go back and save them, but… ‘_

“Do you want to sleep in my room for the morning?”

Byleth couldn’t answer anyway as Edelgard immediately plopped her onto the mattress. The comfortable mattress that she had taken for granted from becoming a professor… If she wasn’t careful, the ex-mercenary would be easily lulled to sleep. She silently shook her head. This caused Edelgard to pout.

“Why are you objecting— Wait… I don’t remember you having a bruise near your nose.”

“…”

Well… Thales did punch her… twice. The pain had subsided when she had woken up and there was no mirror to check her features. No wonder why some of her alumni that spotted her gasped from sight. When she stayed quiet once more, Edelgard sat on the edge of the bed. She reached over to caress Byleth’s swollen cheek.

This warmth again. How long has it been since she’s last had her girlfriend touch her? Byleth caved in and nuzzled against her rough palm. Then, despite years of inability, she began to cry. This startled Edelgard, but only for a little bit. The emperor quickly laid down and pulled Byleth into a hug despite the height difference.

“Byleth...” Hearing her name being called caused the teacher to curl into a fetal position and bury her face into the noble’s chest. Edelgard’s heart clenched at the sorrowful sight. She tightly held onto the older woman and allowed her to weep. “I can’t say I understand why you’re crying, but I’m here for you. Whenever you’re ready to tell me… please… let me know.”

Byleth cried even harder into her girlfriend. “I’m… I’m scared!”

“Scared?”

“Of Those Who Slither in the Dark!”

“?!”

Those Who Slither in the Dark. Why did she bring up those names? Was it because of Volkhard? But it appears that it wasn’t the case when Byleth clutched her girlfriend’s clothes. “For years… They… They… I tried— I really, really tried to hang on. I tried. I’ve— I’m so scared of them!” She couldn’t form a coherent timeline of what she wanted to say, the blubbering sporadic and all over the place. But Edelgard is patient. The seething fury made her even more patient as she hoped to hear the full story from her lover.

It took about an hour, but it felt so much longer than that. Horror tales that Edelgard vividly recalled when she was a child came crashing back to her. This time, she was hearing it from someone who was a bystander and had nothing to do with Those Who Slither in the Dark. The fact that they were still conducting those inhumane experimentations… and conditioning of the soldiers… This is unforgivable. Edelgard mentally beat herself up too for not coming to Byleth’s rescue either. If she had persuaded Hubert and Dorothea to let her dig her professor out from under the rubble, then none of this would have occurred.

When Byleth timidly showed off her body to Edelgard, Edelgard nearly lost her breath. Scars similarly to hers were riddled on multiple parts of her body. Those that weren’t had scabbed over and blemished the skin with discolorations. Stitches did heal the wounds, but at what cost? The noble soon cast a basic healing spell on Byleth’s dominant hand too after mentioning the injury she sustained from yesterday.

“I’ll never forgive them,” Edelgard’s jawlines became prominent. “I swear to you, I will find a way with Hubert and Ferdinand to defeat them.”

“…I won’t be under them ever again?”

“No.”

“But… Thales is always two steps ahead of everyone.”

“Don’t you worry, my teacher,” she kissed her softly on the lips. Then, smoothing her hair, Edelgard whispered, “I’m five— no, ten steps ahead of them. I won’t let them harm you ever again… and I won’t ever let them call you their hounds. You’ll always be my girlfriend first and foremost.”

[-----]

Nightfall came. Just like the clear morning, the late evening was clear, the stars twinkling alongside the moon. At the request of Thales, Byleth did as what he told and wandered right outside of the monastery. She didn’t have to skim the area for long to find them— or more like they came up to her.

“You’re with no one?” the disguised soldier barked. When she nodded, the soldier continued. “Very well. Tell us about Edelgard’s plans against the Leicester Alliance.”

“…”

And so, she spilled the beans. There wasn’t much to spill though as Byleth had merely spoken two sentences maximum... And they were all false information. This seems to have irritated the messenger, but it was more so from the lack of information than the truth of her statement. They shoved the ex-mercenary, causing her to stumble backward.

“I doubt he will be pleased. Don’t expect his next visit to go well, dog.”

“…calling me a dog is the same as calling yourself a dog.”

“Try not to provoke me. I’m the messenger and I don’t need to do dirty work like you hounds.”

“…”

The person huffed and quickly fled the scene. That now left Byleth all on her own in the dense woods. Though it was not long until Hubert appeared from the shadows. He stood by her side, facing the opposite direction.

“We’re safe. I’ve checked our surroundings with Ashe and Lysithea.”

“…”

“I would expect them to be mindful of their surroundings,” he chuckled and cupped his chin. “But perhaps I’ve overestimated them.”

Byleth continued to look straight ahead while responding to his remark. “I guess when they’re invisible, they stop looking over their shoulders.” She felt his firm hand placed on her shoulder. Hubert gently squeezed them and released his hold. At that same moment, both Ashe and Lysithea came up from behind. This was their cue to make their return.

Meanwhile, Edelgard sat in the lecture hall, writing and drawing on a scroll. Plenty of crosses and scribbles littered the page. Sharing the same study space was Sylvain, Ignatz, and Ferdinand. They were procuring up plans that would allow them to tackle not only the opposing nations but to handle the corrupted organization. As for Ingrid, Caspar, and Raphael, they were in charge of guarding the only entranceway into the premise.

“I can’t believe they exist…” Sylvain hummed. “They’re going to be tough to take down, but I have no doubt that we can do it.”

“We shouldn’t have any doubts,” Ferdinand motioned. “We have the majority of our classmates with us. It’s just too bad Hilda and Dedue won’t join us…”

“Bigger number doesn’t always mean success,” Ignatz shook his head. “However, if anything, I won’t allow us to fail any mission regarding them. It’s… It’s just not right to have them running free and do what they want, even if we are teamed up with them.”

“…”

As her classmates chattered among themselves, Edelgard was fully focused on their plans. Yet there was a break, her hand motionless. She blinked. The vermillion noble’s knuckles whitened on the feathered pen.

_‘ Once the war is over, I will tear them apart for harming my Byleth. Limb… to limb. ‘_


End file.
